Pakistan protests Indian violation of LoC ceasefire

ISLAMABAD - The Indian Army resorted to unprovoked firing during the night between May 10 and 11 in Bhattal Sector on the Line of Control.Senior military officials said small arms and mortars were used by the Indian forces, but their guns were silenced by the swift response from the Pakistan Army. No loss of life or damaged to property was reported until Sunday night. Pakistan lodged a protest with Indian authorities.It is the third violation of LoC by the Indian Army during the last 20 days. Pakistan and India routinely accuse each other of launching deadly attacks on the other side and violating the 2003 ceasefire on the LoC. Guns had been relatively silent along the LoC since the ceasefire, however, the escalations along the LoC in recent months had caused tensions between the two uneasy nuclear neighbours.There is a detailed history of LoC violations since the present government had taken over the charge after the elections of May 11 last year. On October 15, Indian troops had started shelling from across the LoC, injuring a woman. The Indian shelling had hit the civilian population of Datoot village of Nakyal Tehsil of Kotli. On October 11, Indian troops had fired mortars across the LoC, killing a child and wounding three other people.Furthermore, on September 2 the Indian Army had carried out unprovoked shelling in the Nakyal sector leaving numerous children stranded inside a local school. On August 27, at least five people, including two women and a girl, were injured by heavy shelling and unprovoked firing in the same area. The continuous shelling and bombardment across the LoC forced the natives to flee the area. On August 26 unprovoked firing from the Indian Army had injured six civilians.Prime ministers of the two countries met in New York in September last year and had decided to ask their military officials to meet and discuss implementation of the ceasefire agreement. India had asked Pakistan to maintain the 'sanctity of the Line of Control' if it wanted an upswing in bilateral ties, though most of the times it’s Indian Army and Border Security Force which provoked exchange of fire at the LoC and Working Boundary near Sialkot.

This news was published in The Nation newspaper. Read complete newspaper of 12-May-2014 here.